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SpaceShip III

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SpaceShip III
TypeSpaceplane
ManufacturerVirgin Galactic

SpaceShip III(SS3,also with Roman numeral:SSIII;formerlySpaceShipThree) was an upcoming class ofspaceplanesbyVirgin Galacticto followSpaceShipTwo.It was first teased on the Virgin GalacticTwitteraccount on 25 February 2021 announcing the rollout of the first SpaceShip III plane on 30 March 2021.[1]

By June 2024, development of the two SpaceShip III vehicles, VSSImagineand VSSInspirewas canceled, with the intention of using the vehicles for ground testing and development for the successorDelta-class spacecraft.[2]So in the end, no SpaceShip III vehicles were completed or flown (not flown in any way, i.e. no captive carry flight, no glide flight, no powered flight nor any other type of flight).

Concept evolution[edit]

The purpose originally proposed for SpaceShipThree in 2005 was for commercialorbital spaceflight,as part of a program called "Tier 2" byBurt Rutanfounder ofScaled Composites.[3][4]

By 2008, Scaled Composites had reduced those plans and articulated a conceptual design wherein the SpaceShipThree vehicles were to be used for transportation throughpoint-to-point suborbital spaceflighttraveling outside theatmospherewith the spacecrafts providing, for example, a two-hour trip on theKangaroo Route(fromLondontoSydneyorMelbourne).[5]

Scaled was sold toNorthrop Grummanin 2007,[6]and references to further work on a conceptual Scaled SS3 ended at some point afterwards from Scaled. Scaled was realigned by Northrop Grumman in 2015 as a research unit.[7]Virgin Galactic acquired full control ofThe Spaceship Companyin 2012, the manufacturer of SS2.[8]The technology was built upon the base technology owned byMojave Aerospace VenturesofPaul Allen,originally licensed in 2004.[9][10]As Allen died in 2018,[11]subsequent space activities of theVulcan Groupwent inactive.

By 2016,Richard Bransonwas still planning to have a point-to-point sub-orbital spaceliner follow-up to SpaceShipTwo, forVirgin GalacticandThe Spaceship Company.[12]

Revised concept[edit]

The SpaceShip III vehicle concept was revised to provide just a few minutes of weightlessness and views for space tourists for Virgin Galactic, and was meant to be a production version ofSpaceShipTwo,[13]with improved maintenance and flight rate performance. It did not have point to point transportation capabilities as previously envisioned in 2016.[12]

In early 2021, Virgin Galactic teased an upcoming vehicle on their Twitter account with the name shown in stylized font as "SPACESHIP 3".[1]

Development[edit]

The first Spaceship III,VSSImaginesuborbital spaceplane forVirgin Galactic,was announced on 25 February 2021 and was rolled out on 30 March 2021. On that occasion, it was indicated there was ground testing to be done before glide test flights could commence, no earlier than the summer of 2021.[13]Imaginewas one of two SpaceShip III class spacecraft on order by Virgin Galactic, the second beingVSSInspire.[14]

List of vehicles[edit]

Name Unveil date In-service date Out-of-service date Notes
VSSImagine 2021 Never Never First SSIII [15]
VSSInspire Never Never Never Second announced SSIII [15]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abVirgin Galactic [@VirginGalactic] (February 25, 2021)."The Future of the Fleet. Rollout, March 30th"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
  2. ^Sheetz, Michael (13 June 2024)."Investing in Space: Virgin Galactic enters spaceflight hiatus after retiring Unity".CNBC.
  3. ^"SpaceShipThree poised to follow if SS2 succeeds".Flight International.FlightGlobal. 23 August 2005.Retrieved2008-01-25.
  4. ^Leonard David (11 August 2006)."Burt Rutan on Civilian Spaceflight, Breakthroughs, and Inside SpaceShipTwo".Space.
  5. ^SpaceShipThree revealed?,FlightGlobal Hyperbola, Rob Coppinger, 29 Feb 2008
  6. ^"Northrop buys the rest of Scaled Composites".Albuquerque Business First. Business Journals. 27 August 2007.
  7. ^James Drew (6 August 2015)."Northrop realigns Scaled Composites under advanced research unit".Flight Global.
  8. ^"Virgin Galactic Acquires Full Ownership of The Spaceship Company".Business Wire. 5 October 2012.
  9. ^"Exhibit 10.27: Spacecraft Technology License Agreement".U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EX-10.27.
  10. ^"Virgin Group Sign Deal with Paul G. Allen's Mojave Aerospace".SpaceRef. 27 September 2004.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^Steve Lohr (15 October 2018)."Paul G. Allen, Microsoft's Co-Founder, Is Dead at 65".New York Times.
  12. ^abIrene Klotz (19 February 2016)."Branson's Virgin Galactic moves to return to space race".Reuters.
  13. ^ab"Meet VSS Imagine: Virgin Galactic unveils its first SpaceShip III spacecraft".Space.30 March 2021.
  14. ^Roulette, Joey (30 March 2021)."Virgin Galactic unveils new SpaceShip III".Retrieved30 March2021.
  15. ^abDarrell Etherington (30 March 2021)."Virgin Galactic debuts its first third-generation spaceship, 'VSS Imagine'".TechCrunch.

External links[edit]

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